One Thing At A Time
by pumpkinnubbin
Summary: Post Pavor Nocturnus. Kate knows something is off with Magnus so she offers her to talk. Helen eventually takes her up on that offer and talks about what has happened.


_Having lots of Kate feels lately so I decided to write some more Kate fics, one way or another. This is basically more of a fix-fic (like I wrote my Teslen one) than anything else. I think it would have been nice to have a talk between Magnus and Kate about things. There will be a second, shippier chapter following so if you're uncomfortable with that, don't read it and just stick with this chapter._

* * *

"Doc.? You okay?" Kate asked, leaning against the doorframe.

She had been standing there for a good couple of minutes, silently watching the older woman. She hadn't even noticed Kate until she had spoken up. Odd.

"Kate. What is it?"

Kate frowned again, pursing her lips before walking closer, falling into one of the armchairs and quickly getting comfortable.

"You okay?"

"Yes, of course. Why are you asking?"

"You're different. And you were totally spaced out just now. That's not like you from what I can tell."

"I'm fine, Kate." Helen smiled, trying to reassure the younger woman. She was fine after all.

"Yeah but something's got you extremely occupied. Come on, Doc. What is it?"

Magnus sighed quietly, smiling at Kate again and placing her pen aside. The young woman had become part of the team already and they came along rather well by now too. But she wasn't sure it was enough to talk to her about what had happened.

"You're not gonna tell me, are you? Didn't expect you to, either, no worries." Kate half grinned after another good minute of silence, "But you know, if you wanted to, I'm around. It's not that bad to talk to someone that isn't a shrink or someone close to you or anything."

Helen looked at her for a bit, a grateful expression on her face and nodding once. That was quite sweet.

"Thank you, Kate. Perhaps I will get back to you on the matter."

"Sure. I owe you one after all." Kate smiled, getting up again to make her way to the door, waving a quick goodbye.

Helen watched after the young woman, sighing before busying herself for another good hour or two. She was on her way to the library when she stopped, deciding to go and find Kate.

* * *

She met Henry on her way who told her where to find the younger one. Magnus gave Henry a smile and thanked him, making her way to Kate's room. She knocked on the door and entered when she was bid inside.

Kate sat up in her bed, smiling brightly at Helen and asking her to find a place, aplogizing for the mess all the same.

"It's alright. Although you really should clean up from time to time." Helen mused before growing serious again, "I'd like to take you up on your offer to talk about things."

Kate had thought as much but she couldn't quite help the surprise written all over her face. She seriously hadn't expect Magnus to. The older woman sat down on the chair once she put the few items on it on the already rather full desk.

"Really? Sure."

"This is a rather complicated story and a long one at that but I will try to keep it short. Basically ... I was trapped in an illusion about a future that would occur if I'd take the relic I had come for with me."

"Future? But how?" Kate asked, a little confused. She had seen and heard a lot of strange things but time travel of any kind? That was a first.

"I don't quite know, Kate. The relic has a guardian that made all of that happening. I can't even tell if it was just an illusion or not."

"From your behavior I'm guessing it wasn't a good one?"

"No..." Helen shook her head, "I was in the middle of a post-apocalypse. Still half in it, actually. Old City was destroyed and so was the Sanctuary."

"Apocalypse?"

"Yes. Apparently there had been some kind of virus that turned people into ... zombies, so to speak."

"Creepy... What about us? You said the city and the Sanctuary was destroyed."

"Yes. Will was the only one left of us but he wasn't at all the Will I know. Henry and the BigGuy had died and John had taken a good area of those infected with him. From the time I had gotten there, I was dead for a couple of years already as well and so were you. We all died fighting..."

Kate's expression saddened and they remained quiet for a while. That was a lot to take in already.

"There's more to the team than that, isn't there?" Kate couldn't help asking. It surely looked like it from Magnus' face.

"Yes. Will and you ..."

"Will and I what?"

Helen suddenly wasn't so sure she should tell that part but she knew Kate wouldn't let it go and she wanted it off her chest as well.

"You had a son."

"A son? I ... Wow. What... what was his name?" Kate stuttered, more than a little overwhelmed by everything right about now.

"Magnus."

"Like you. We named him after you?"

Helen nodded, smiling a little.

"You didn't meet him then?"

"No. But Will showed me a picture."

Kate nodded a couple of times. As curious as she was, she stopped herself before she could ask more about him.

"Does Will know about what happened? At all?"

"No, I haven't talked to anyone else about it."

"Thanks..? How did it end? What happened?"

"I tried to find a solution of what was going on. Will fought until the end, buying me some time.. I was taken back just before they could kill me."

"That's ... a pretty freaky story, Doc..."

"Yes. It hopefully won't be happening like this."

Kate nodded again. She would not be looking forward to that and she was sure Magnus had cut the story short. She was glad the older woman had decided to talk to her and as much as she wanted to tell her that she could come for one anytime, she wasn't quite ready for that yet. She gave Helen another smile though. Maybe she hoped Magnus could tell that way without her needing to have to say it because that would not be happening.

"Thank you, Kate."

"Sure..."

"I should be going again. There's still paperwork waiting for me. Will you be fine?"

"Yeah, sure. You know me. And yay for the paperwork." Kate grinned and Helen shook her head, slightly amused.

She got up and walked to the door, turning around once there.

"Don't worry about your reputation, Kate. It's safe." She winked.

Good to know.

"Thanks, Doc. And unless you wanna talk to anyone about the whole zombie stuff, it's safe with me too."

They smiled at each other again before Helen left, going to the library as she had planned earlier.

Kate was still stuck on the thought of having had a son. Not to mention with Will. She couldn't picture herself being a mother or being with Will, to be quite honest. It was so weird. The timing couldn't have been well either with an apocalypse going on. If that had been going for years, it must have been a miracle the baby had even been born. Would fit the name too, though, Kate chuckled to herself, falling back into the mattress again. She'd make a terrible mother, at least in her mind. She laughed quietly at the thought. Her as a mother. That was just ridiculous. Right now anyway or in the middle of the end of the world. Her timing seemed to be awesome.

She would have to try not to think about that too much with the others around because she would not be explaining that.


End file.
